


Footprints in the Snow

by Jackson_Overland_Frost



Category: Guardians of Childhood & Related Fandoms, Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: ? - Freeform, Alternate Universe: Guardians Aren’t What You Think, Angst, Flowers, Gen, I don’t say Jack’s name, Jamie Is A Winter Spirit In Training, Possible bennefrost, Seasonal Spirits - Freeform, may be angsty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-07
Updated: 2019-05-04
Packaged: 2020-01-06 13:24:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18389306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jackson_Overland_Frost/pseuds/Jackson_Overland_Frost
Summary: May become oneshot series in near future. The Guardians only kinda exist, and not as much as you’d think they would. Is taking requests.





	1. Flinch

**Author's Note:**

> I did this for a school project, which is why I don’t say Jack’s name. Don’t want to make it too obvious that I’m turning in fanfiction. His name will appear in later chapters though. I will update very sporadically and this will be full of headcannons because I do what I want.

The last of the snow had just melted away, and the early spring flowers were already shooting up- first the snowdrops poking out of the wet semi-frozen sludge, followed by star violets and little yellow sunshines. He didn’t usually stick around long enough to see them come along, in fact, he was usually gone as soon as the snowdrop shoots showed up. He wanted to stay a while longer this year though, see the grass turn green, maybe even talk to May once she showed up. She was coming soon for sure- he could tell because North wasn’t the only wind around anymore. 

He settled on a bit of grass under a tree to wait. What for, he didn’t quite know for certain. Probably for May to show up and kick him out of his own home, but he wasn’t sure. The grass was a bit comfier than it needed to be, actually. So comfortable that he started… to… drift off... 

When he woke up again, he wasn’t alone in the clearing anymore. Not that May was creepily watching him sleep, it was more that she was just going about her business and doing her best to avoid the spirit sleeping on the ground a couple of meters away. He sat up, and watched her coax the flowers further out of the ground, touching branches on trees and watching the bud grow and open into tiny pale leaves. He had never seen anything like it, but then again, he had never stuck around long enough to. The grass around him was noticeably greener too, and there were a few more flowers sprouting from it. So May had already been around this side of his lake while he was sleeping, huh?

He reached for one of the snowdrops. They were named snowdrops for a reason, and so of course they were his favorites. He cupped one between his fingers, and flinched when frost crept across the green of the stem and leaves. Across the lake, he thought he saw May flinch too, so he let go and slowly got to his feet, leaving the clearing through the woods. It was probably better this way. He was careful not to touch any of the new buds or flowers on his way towards the town- there were fewer things he could kill by accident there, less people to flinch when he made a mistake. 

A single snowflake drifted from the end of his staff and he twirled it between his fingers, sighing. He had spent the past week at home, taking a break with the beginning of spring before he had to go back to court and start preparing for winter in the southern hemisphere. Although, he didn’t have to go back to the castle quite yet- they would understand if he visited Philadelphia for a few days before going back to Antarctica. He supposed he should say goodbye to Sophie and Emily before leaving though, because who knew when he would have time to come back. It wasn’t often that he had a break this long, and surely somebody would come soon to call the king back to court. 

He grabbed his staff a little tighter and let the wind carry him into the sky, flying towards the house on the end of the street. A girl, no older than fifteen, with cropped blonde hair was waiting for him on the from steps. He saw her, and let a grin take over his face.

“Hey Soph.” He landed on the front lawn, his bare feet not quite touching the ground and the grass shying away from his touch. 

“Hey. You said you were leaving today?”

“Yeah, I’m going to go visit your brother in Philadelphia. At, um, what was that college of his called again?”

“It’s literally the University of Pennsylvania, you dork. It’s not a hard name to remember.”

“Ah, right,” he said. “I knew that.”

Sophie laughed, and shook her head. “Are you coming in to say bye to Mom? She’s making lunch right now, I think, so she can’t come out.”

“Of course. Who do you take me for?” He landed on the wooden steps and put his staff in it’s holder on his back so that he could have both hands free. Anyone with good enough ears could practically hear the grass give a sigh of relief. The spirit flinched again- he has very good ears. 

Sophie saw him in her peripheral vision. Her hearing was not so good- she was only human after all- but she did have eyes. 

“Hey, are you ok?”

He smiled again. When did he stop smiling? “Yeah kiddo, I’m good.”

“Don’t call me kiddo!” Sophie protested. “I’m literally taller than you!”

“And I’m still a couple hundred years old, kiddo.” His smile felt a bit more natural now, finally reaching his eyes and lighting them up. Sophie gave him a grin and a pout in return, before leading their way into the house. 

Emily turned from the stove as they came into the kitchen. 

“Hey Mom,” Sophie said.

“Hi Emily,” said the other. 

“Hi kids. Sophie, could you set the table please?” She turned to him. “Are you staying for lunch or are you leaving now? I could pack you something if you’d like.”

“I’m actually going to go now,” he told her. “If you could pack something that would be great though. I’m going to visit Jamie, and last time I saw him he was saying about missing your cooking.”

“Of course, dear. Lunch is just about ready, so I’ll but some in a bag for you to bring along. Do you think you could help Sophie set the table?”

“Sounds good, Emily. And Soph, if you have anything for Jamie, give it to me now. It’ll be faster than the mail.”

Sophie looked at her mom, who nodded, before rushing upstairs to grab something. He smiled to himself, and finished setting up the dishes and silverware she had left on the table. As he took the bag Emily gave him, Sophie came back down with an envelope full of a bit more than just a piece of paper. He didn’t question it and put it into the bag with this two still warm packages that Emily had wrapped with tin foil and then brown paper. He thanked them, and left. 

The flight was pleasantly short, and he arrived at Philadelphia in about twenty minutes. He looked through the window of Jamie’s dorm, and finding it empty of the boy, wandered around campus looking for him. He finally discovered Jamie walking towards collegetown, presumably for lunch, and happily poked him on the nose in greeting, sending a bit of frost across the boy’s face. Jamie didn’t flinch, though he did wipe the melt-water off of his face and poke him back in retaliation. He landed.

“Hey, ya snow haired doofus,” he greeted affectionately.

Jamie shook his head. “When are you going to let that one die?” he sighed. 

He ruffled Jamie’s very brown locks until some of the white and blue roots could be seen. “As long as it annoys you? Never.”

“Stop that!” Jamie did his best to get away the hand on his head. “You wouldn’t even be able to reach if you couldn’t fly, you short cheater.”

He let Jamie squirm away, and showed him the bag he had brought. “I come bearing gifts.”

“Ooh, if that-”

“Yup, Emily was making lunch when I dropped by so she insisted I bring some with me for you. I’m pretty sure they’re still warm too.”

“You liar you. I knew you were listening when I told you about how much I missed Mom’s cooking. And stop calling her Emily, it’s weird when you look younger than me.”

He laughed. “And would you prefer I call someone hundreds of years younger than me Ms. Bennett? I’d think that’s even weirder.”

Jamie dug through the bag until he reached the sandwiches. He grabbed one, murmured until his breath for a few seconds, and then handed the bag back to him. 

He frowned. “They’re already cold?”

Jamie grinned and unwrapped his panini, steam curling off of it into the early spring air. “Not anymore! You want me to warm yours too?”

“No fair that you can warm things up when you’re just as wintery as I am!” Nonetheless, he took the remaining sandwich out of the bag and gave it to Jamie, who muttered the same phrase and handed it back.

“But I’m not a full spirit yet, so you better use me as your sandwich warmer while I last.”

The two went together up the slope, one walking and one flying. The passed another student on the way back, and before either noticed them, she had gone around Jamie, and straight through him as if he didn’t exist. They flinched.


	2. Samhain, 1721

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I know it’s not Halloween but bare with me here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not sure what’s going on in this chapter, so sorry if you aren’t sure either.

Jack, as per usual around this time, strolled along the rooftops and watched as the sandman’s magic came swirling down from the sky. He brushed his hands through a golden stream and laughed as the glowing sand turned to dolphins, which swan through the air around him. They made sandy dolphin chirps, and nosed at his hands and chin before joining back into the streams that sped towards children’s homes. He sighed, and looked at the moon.

“I haven’t talked to anyone who could hear me for so long,” He told it. “Besides you, I suppose, but you never talk back.”

“Yeah, Tzar Lunar never talks to anyone,” came a voice. 

Jack startled, and turned around so quickly he almost got whiplash. His eyes searched the shadows for the source of the voice.

“Up here~” said the voice, and Jack craned his neck up to see a young man with dark hair holding a lit Jack-o-Lantern under one of his arms. His eyes glowed an eerie yellow-orange, conveniently the same color as his lantern, and he wore a black cloak over equally black clothing. His skin was quite pale, and he grinned quite literally from ear to ear, his mouth full of strangely sharp teeth. He was, overall, a rather unsettling figure, not helped by the fact that his cape was flowing in an entirely non-existent wind. 

Jack took a few steps back, at least mildly frightened, and put a hand over his heart to steady himself, as you do. 

“Did I scare you?” the stranger asked with a smirk. 

“Well, yes!” Jack cried quite indignantly. 

“Excellent!” The man landed on the roof in front of Jack and gave a rather extravagant bow. “I am Jack-O-Lantern, the Pumpkin King, and spirit of Samhain. Or Halloween, if you prefer. And you are Jack Frost, if I’m not mistaken? Nice name. You can call me Jack-O, or just Jack if you want to make the others confused.”

“The others?” asked Jack, confused. 

“Of course! You didn’t think you were the only spirit out there, did you? I’m surprised Mother Nature hasn’t reached out to you and try an make you part of the higher courts yet, because goodness knows we’ve been lacking a decent winter spirit. Hey, why don’t you come join us for the Halloween Party?”

Jack, at this point, was far more confused than he had started off being, but hey, at least Jack-O was being nice. I guess he had a soft spot for Jack since they had such similar names. Anyways, the Halloween party. Jack wasn’t a hundred percent sure he wanted to go, but he was just waxing poetic to the moon about talking to someone who would talk back, so. 

“Huh, yeah, I guess I’ll go.”

“Great!” Jack-O grinned his too-wide sharp-toothed grin again, and Jack raised his eyebrows at him. The smile took a bit to get used too, but it was growing on him. “Alright, follow me.”

Jack-O led the way to an overgrown pumpkin patch in a cemetery, which was in turn next to an abandoned church. It was almost unnecessarily creepy, and what was really overwhelming was the number of decorations and spirits milling around. Jack couldn’t even tell if some of them were really strange spirits or elaborate decorations, nor did he was to find out. Some of the spirits there were dressed in costumes, while others looked the way they did normally, not that this made them less frightening. He had definitely seen Pitch Black somewhere in the crowd, and was that the actual Grim Reaper lurking near the snack table?  
Part of the crown appeared to be Jack-O’s minions or servants or something, and they all looked up and cheered when the two Jacks descended from the sky.

“I’m here, kids! And look, I brought someone with me this year. Everyone welcome Jack Frost with some holiday cheer, and enjoy the festivities!”

Jack was swept into the crowd as soon as they landed, Jack-O disappearing from view. Spirits bustled around him, the place much more crowded than it seemed from the air, and before he knew it, he was caught in a swirling fae dance as he was passed from one person to another. Eventually, he ended up over at the snack table, carefully avoiding Death while also trying some hopefully non-poisoned cupcakes. 

It wasn’t long before he was approached by Mother Nature, just as Jack-O had predicted earlier in the night. She was wearing a pumpkin mask that didn’t at all hide her iconic bright green eyes or swirling black hair in which clouds moved and wind blew. In all honesty, she was quite impressive, though underwhelming for one of the most powerful spirits of all time. 

“Jack Frost,” she said, all mysterious like.

“That’s me, ma’am, hi. It’s kinda creepy that you know my name though, but I suppose Jack-O did announce it in front of everyone so I guess it’s not actually that creepy, meaning no disrespect, of course,” Jack said, because he’s an awkward bean who hasn’t talked to anyone but the moon for almost two years.

Mother Nature laughed a bit. “Call me Seraphina. I’m sure you know that though you haven’t had much contact with other spirits yet you are aware that you are part of the unseelie court.”

“Yes, Herrion dragged me to the court soon after I awoke, though I haven’t seen or heard of him since.”

“That is standard procedure, but I’ve been informed that Oberon wishes to make you part of the higher courts. He was unable to take part in the festivities this year, so he asked me to tell you to make your way to court at once. Of course, you are free to enjoy the rest of the party.”

Jack opened his mouth to reply, but Seraphina disappeared back into the crowd, leaving him by the table with a half eaten cupcake in his hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uwu Idk

**Author's Note:**

> Yes I’m taking requests, no I will not write something for all of them, only the ones I like/feel inspired by. 
> 
> Leave a comment and talk to me. I’m sad and lonely. 
> 
> Come scream at me on tumblr and Jackson-Overland-Frost. Yes my name is a RotG reference. Thanks for noticing.


End file.
